UK government drops bid to delay decision on investigation into PM Johnson

[April 21, 2022]  LONDON (Reuters) - The British government will not move its proposed amendment to delay a decision over whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson should be investigated over accusations he misled parliament about breaches of COVID-19 rules, parliament's speaker said.  

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks as he takes questions at the House of Commons in London, Britain April 20, 2022. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

The opposition Labour Party on Thursday will call a vote on whether he should be investigated for contempt of parliament by its Committee of Privileges, and the government had said it would introduce an amendment to delay that decision.

"I understand it is now the intention of the government not to move that amendment," House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle told lawmakers on Thursday.

Several media outlets including the BBC reported that Conservative lawmakers would be given a free vote on the Labour Party motion.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said that his motion would allow the police investigation to be completed before the committee had to establish whether Johnson had held parliament in contempt.

"If the motion is passed, the Committee will not begin their substantive work until the police investigations are complete, so that they will have all of that evidence before them one way or the other," Starmer said.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout and William James)

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